Scientists have decided it’s official – people do not necessarily have to believe in a “god” to have a moral compass. A group of four University of Illinois surveys found that while there were subtle differences in behaviour between groups of atheists and religious people – or “theists” – they live by the same moral codes. Tomas Ståhl of the University of Illinois said: “The most general take-home message from these studies is that people who do not believe in God do have a moral compass. "In fact, they share many of the same moral concerns that religious believers have, such as concerns about fairness, and about protecting vulnerable individuals from harm.” The first two surveys crowdsourced responses from hundreds of American residents, and found that religion was unrelated to amoral tendencies, whether people would endorse liberty or oppression or whether people cared about being fair to others. The second two surveys compared thousands of people across the US and Sweden, which is a much more secular country. The data came up with the same results. Mainstream religions are on a downward trend worldwide. In the UK, for example, just 46 percent of people identified as Christian in the 2021 census, compared to 59 percent in 2011. The US has seen similar declines. Ståhl added: “However, disbelievers are less inclined than believers to endorse moral values that serve group cohesion, such as having respect for authorities, ingroup loyalty, and sanctity… “It is possible that the negative stereotype of atheists as immoral may stem in part from the fact that they are less inclined than religious people to view respect for authority, ingroup loyalty, and sanctity as relevant for morality, and they are more likely to make moral judgments about harm on a consequentialist, case by case basis.” It’s news that will come as little surprise to the estimated 750 million atheists across the globe, of course. But for people who still think religion is the key to morality, it could be food for thought. How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Sign up to our free indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

A new study into the Earth beneath our feet has discovered that an ancient ocean floor structure could be wrapped around the planet's core which could be taller that Mount Everest in some areas. A brand new high-resolution mapping of the core has uncovered things that scientists previously didn't know according to a study that was first published in April. The discovery found that a thin but dense layer sits at around 2,900 kilometers below the surface at the Core Mantle Boundary where rocks meet the molten outer core of the planet. Geologist Samantha Hansen from the University of Alabama is quoted in the study saying: "Seismic investigations, such as ours, provide the highest resolution imaging of the interior structure of our planet, and we are finding that this structure is vastly more complicated than once thought." She adds: "Our research provides important connections between shallow and deep Earth structure and the overall processes driving our planet.” Hansen and her team conducted the research from 15 different stations in Antarctica by using seismic waves created by Earthquakes to create a map of what the inside of the planet looks like. The team identified the unexpected energy within seconds of the boundary-reflected wave from the seismic data. The findings show that although the layer is very thin it does spread for many, many kilometers and has been called the ultra-low velocity zone (ULVZs) due to its strong wave speed reductions. Due to the properties of the ULVZs the experts believe that the layer could vary dramatically in height. Geophysicist Edward Garnero from Arizona State University adds: "The material's thickness varies from a few kilometers to [tens] of kilometers. This suggests we are seeing mountains on the core, in some places up to five times taller than Mt. Everest." These underground mountains could play a significant role in how heat escapes from the Earth's core and power magnetic fields and volcanic eruptions. The team's studies suggest that the layer could encase all of the core but further research will have to be carried out to determine if that is the case. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

The Lenovo IdeaCentre AIO 5i 24 is a smaller replica of the 27-inch Lenovo IdeaCentre

IShowSpeed's tweet stirred up significant interest, prompting fans to react in different ways about the assault and its aftermath

Elon Musk officially changed Twitter's bird logo to an 'X' as part of a sweeping rebrand he announced on the social media site over the weekend

'Teen Mom' star Jenelle Evans and TikToker Zoe Laverne Day spend a day together with their husbands

We could be about to see two of the biggest billionaire dweebs go head to head, after Elon Musk made it clear that he’s up for a cage fight with Mark Zuckerberg. It comes following speculation that Zuckerberg is going to release his own platform named "Threads", which sounds like a pretty similar concept to Twitter, and Musk doesn’t seem happy about it. In fact, he’s joked about taking the Meta founder on in a fight. Froothie founder Mario Nawfal posted about the new platform on Twitter, writing: “META, the same company that copied Snapchat, TikTok, StumbleUpon, Foursquare, BeReal, and Clubhouse, began coding ‘Project 92’ three months after Elon acquired Twitter…Rumors have been circulating about the app’s public name being Threads”. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Musk replied, commenting on Meta’s grip over the social media landscape, writing: “I’m sure Earth can’t wait to be exclusively under Zuck’s thumb with no other options. At least it will be ‘sane’. Was worried there for a moment.” Not finished there, he added: “I’m up for a cage match if he is lol.” In all fairness, Zuckerberg has shown that he’s no stranger to MMA fighting recently. He surprised people after turning up at a jiu-jitsu tournament, with footage appearing to show him looking a little unhappy with the result of his bout. The Meta CEO was spotted taking on a fellow competitor in Redwood City in California earlier this year and he was eventually pinned after a tussle in the ring. The referee stopped the fight and awarded it to his opponent after believing that Zuckerberg had 'tapped out', with the referee later clearing up exactly what happened. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

FREMONT, Calif. & AMSTERDAM--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 13, 2023--

TL;DR: As of June 23, you can get a refurbished Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 for

Though xQc is primarily an Overwatch streamer, he also streams a number of other games

'The Legend of Zelda' is being adapted into a live-action movie.

Most presidents, current and former, typically spend America’s Independence Day celebrating the values of US society that bring its citizens together, joining in the festive and unifying themes of the national holiday. And then there’s Donald Trump. The former president spent July 4 fuming at his enemies on Truth Social, resharing a vulgar message aimed at President Joe Biden and the tens of millions of Americans who voted for him in 2020. ““F**k Biden and f**k you for voting for him”, read the post. Later, he continued his holiday rant by branding the president a “very dangerous idiot in the White House”. He also posted a bizarre image of himself imposed into the Revolutionary War, prompting social media users to suggest he is more like Benedict Arnold – the infamous US traitor – than the Founding Fathers. In other Trumpworld news, the company planning to merge with Truth Social has reached an $18m settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Digital World Acquisition Corp (DWAC) announced the tentative settlement on Monday, ending an SEC probe looking into whether it held talks with Truth Social’s parent company before going public – a violation of regulations. Read More Trump marks Independence Day by sharing vulgar attack on Biden and ominous 2024 warning Trump-appointed judge blocks Biden agencies from communicating with social media platforms Ex-New York congressman pardoned by Trump is planning to run again in Florida Truth Social’s merger partner reaches $18m settlement with SEC